Association between daily TV time and physical fitness in 6- to 14-year-old Austrian youth

Exposure to Smartphones and Tablets, Physical Activity and Sleep in Children From 5 to 10 Years Old: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

OBJECTIVE

To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to verify the association between smartphone/tablet exposure and physical activity and sleep in children from 5 to 10 years old. Data Source: This study followed the guidelines of PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) and included studies that met eligibility criteria based on the "PECO" strategy: participants (children from 5 to 10 years old), exposure (smartphone and tablet use), and outcome (physical activity and sleep).

STUDY INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA

The inclusion criteria were observational studies published in indexed scientific journals and written in Portuguese, English, and Spanish that verified the association of exposure to smartphones/tablets with physical activity and sleep in children aged 5 to 10 years of both sexes. Studies were considered eligible only if they met the previous criteria. Data Extraction: The search was conducted in January 2023 on databases from electronic journals without the restriction of the period. To meta-analyze were extracted and grouped using models of fixed and random effects, the coefficients Odds Ratio (OR), Beta (β), Standard Error (SE), and Confidence Intervals of 95% (95%CI). Data Synthesis: 2396 potentially relevant papers were identified, and 17 met the inclusion criteria.

RESULTS

It can be verified that there was an inverse association between smartphones with physical activity and sleep. Studies indicate that for every additional hour of smartphone and tablet use, sleep can be expected to decrease by an average of 11 minutes (β = - 0.11; 95%CI = -0.13; -0.09). Children using smartphones and tablets were 1.79 times (OR = 1.79; 95%CI = 1.72-1.86) more likely to have shorter sleep duration and 1.53 times (OR = 1.53; 95%CI = 1.41-1.65) more likely to have worse sleep quality. Children with shorter smartphone and tablet usage were 1.19 times more likely to be active (OR = 1.19; 95% CI = 1.03-1.37).

CONCLUSION

Children of 5 to 10 years who are more often exposed to smartphones and tablets are prone to have worse quality and quantity of sleep, as well as less practice of physical activity. Health promotion actions can be encouraged based on the results, aiming to reduce the use time of these devices and improve children's health and quality of life.

A Systematic Review on Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity among School Children and Adolescents in Indian Population

Obesity has erupted as an epidemic around the world. It has set itself as a fast wave among other prevailing specific clusters of non-communicable diseases. The current study reviews and presents an updated meaningful review of the vast research work performed at schools located in different cities of India. A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar and PEDro. Studies representing data on obesity and overweight among children in Indian cities were included in the review. A total of 21 articles with 71,466 participants were included in the review for analysis. Obesity developed in childhood and adolescence is greatly associated with heart disease, stroke and cancer (breast and ovarian in women and prostate in men) in the late stage of life. In India, despite being a country with a faster rate of population becoming overweight and obese in urban areas, in contrast, rural areas are still struggling with malnutrition.

Primary school children's health and its association with physical fitness development and health-related factors

The health status (HS) of children is influenced by a variety of factors, including physical fitness (PF) or social and environmental characteristics. We present a 4-year longitudinal study carried out with 263 primary school children. PF was assessed yearly using the German Motor Performance Test 6-18. Demographic data, leisure time behavior and socioeconomic factors were collected using questionnaires for children and parents. Based on parents' ratings in year 4, children were categorized as either "very good health status" (VGHS) or "good health status or below" (GHSB). Children with VGHS (73%) showed a larger improvement of global PF (p < 0.001), a significantly higher proportion of being/playing outside (p < 0.001), significantly lower proportions of overweight (p < 0.001), of media availability in the bedroom (p = 0.011) and of daily media consumption > 2 h (p = 0.033) compared to children with GHSB. Regarding socio-economic factors, children with VGHS revealed significantly fewer parents with lower education (p = 0.002), lower physical activity levels (p = 0.030) and lower migration background (p < 0.001). Physical fitness (p = 0.019) and outdoors exercising (p = 0.050) were the only variables to provide significantly higher chances of perceiving one's own health as very good when tested within a complex model including all the variables studied in this work. Considering the little focus on PF in the current Austrian physical education curriculum and the favorable environmental features of the Tyrolean region, more emphasis should be given to promoting didactical and pedagogical approaches that allow schoolers to be active in the nature.

Evaluation of sleeping parameters with peripheral arterial tonometry in childhood sleep apnea and snoring: a clinical feasibility study

PURPOSE

The influence of adenoidectomy ± tonsillotomy/tonsillectomy on objective sleep parameters in children with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) was determined with the help of ambulatory polygraphy (WatchPat300^®, Neucomed Ltd., Vienna, Austria). These results were compared with the findings of the OSA-18 questionnaire.

METHODS

27 children treated with adenoidectomy ± tonsillotomy/tonsillectomy at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of Innsbruck, were consecutively included in this prospective clinical trial. Pre- and postoperative objective sleeping parameters were assessed with outpatient polygraphy (WatchPat300^®) and subjective symptoms with the OSA-18 questionnaire.

RESULTS

Most of the children presented with severe OSA (41%, 11/27). The mean preoperative AHI was 10.2 (± 7.4). Postoperatively it declined to 3.7 (± 1.8; p < 0.0001). Following surgery 19/24 (79%) children had a mild OSA and 8/24 (21%) a moderate OSA. None of the children suffered from severe OSA anymore after surgery. The postoperative AHI did not correlate with the age (p = 0.3), BMIp (p = 0.6) or extent of surgery (p = 0.9). The mean postoperative OSA-18 survey score was significantly lower than the preoperative one (70.7 ± 26.7 vs. 34.5 ± 10.5; p < 0.0001). The postoperative OSA-18 questionnaire showed a normal survey score below 60 in 23/24 (96%) of the children.

CONCLUSIONS

The WatchPat^® device might be a feasible way for objective assessment of pediatric OSA in children older than 3 years. Adenoidectomy ± tonsillotomy/tonsillectomy caused a significant decrease of the AHI in children with OSA. This effect was especially pronounced in children with severe OSA and none of the children had persistent severe OSA after surgery.

Relationship between TV watching during childhood and adolescence and fitness in adulthood in the Raine Study cohort

To investigate: (1) whether TV watching habits throughout childhood and adolescence, a proxy of sedentary behaviour, impacted cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in adulthood, and (2) whether any potential impact of TV watching in childhood and adolescence on CRF in adulthood was changed by adult physical activity (PA) levels. A longitudinal study with questionnaire data available regarding TV watching collected at ages 5, 8, 10, 14, 17 and 20 yrs, allowed trajectories of TV watching to be developed. At age 28 yrs, participants completed a V̇O₂peak test and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. General linear models tested for differences in CRF (time to exhaustion TTE and V̇O₂peak mL·kg^-1·min^-1) between TV watching trajectories. The secondary analysis tested the potential effect current PA levels has on the relationship between TV trajectory and fitness. In total, 449 participants [male n = 255 (56.8%), 28.3 ± 0.5 yrs; female n = 194 (43.2%), 28.2 ± 0.4 yrs] were included in the study. Three distinct trajectories of TV watching were identified: High TV, Increasing TV and Low TV. CRF was lowest in the High TV watching trajectory and increased progressively from High to Increasing TV and Increasing to Low TV (all P < .05). Within each of the TV trajectories, those engaging in high levels of current PA had greater CRF than those engaging in low and moderate PA. TV watching in childhood and adolescence negatively impacts upon adult fitness at the age of 28 years. However, this negative impact of historical TV watching on CRF can largely be attenuated by engaging in higher levels of PA in adulthood.

Effect of after-school physical activity on body composition in primary school children: The Slovak "PAD" project

Physical activity is associated with many physical and mental health benefits. This study aimed to investigate the effect of a 24-month after-school physical activity intervention on body composition in normal-weight children. Participating students (6-7 years of age at baseline) were divided by reason of their parental preference to intervention and control groups. Children in the intervention group (n = 20; 10 boys and 10 girls) followed an aerobic training program (two 60-min sessions per week), whereas children in the control group (n = 20; 10 boys and 10 girls) participated in the usual practice. Body composition characteristics were repeatedly measured by means of bioelectrical impedance method. At 2 years, finally, intervention boys had a smaller rise in BMI (mean difference, MD: -0.97 kg/m2 , p < 0.05), BMI z-score (-0.44, p < 0.09), body fat % (BF%) (-6.47%, p < 0.01), and fat mass index (FMI) (-1.32 kg/m2 , p < 0.001) than controls. In girls, however, the intervention program induced no significant differences (p > 0.9) in the measured variables compared to controls at the final follow-up (MD: -0.04 kg/m2 for BMI and -0.01 for BMI z-score). Changes in BF% and FMI in a positive direction occurred at 18 months (MD: -3.38%, p < 0.05 and -0.99 kg/m2 , p < 0.01, respectively), but did not persist over time (p > 0.07). In addition, no significant changes (p > 0.07) in the fat-free mass index were associated with the physical activity intervention in either boys or girls. In conclusion, compared to the controls, a long-term physical activity intervention in boys was associated with a significantly smaller rise in BMI and improvement of body composition by reducing both BF % and FMI. In girls, however, this intervention did not result in any statistically significant changes in body composition variables.

School health programs of physical education and/or diet among pupils of primary and secondary school levels I and II linked to body mass index: A systematic review protocol within the project From Science 2 School

The most common causes of death in Western countries today are preventable diseases mainly attributed to daily behavior. It has been well documented that genetics are influential but not the deciding factor for developing non-communicable diseases. Ideally, the public should be educated to perform methods of optimal health and wellbeing independently, meaning that individuals should be in control of their health without relying on others. As behavior is known to be consistent over time, good or poor health behavior will track from childhood into adulthood. Physical activity and diet are permanently linked to the individual's state of health, and when properly balanced, the effects on personal health summate, resulting in greater benefits from this dual-approach for public health. The objective is to highlight the different approaches (physical intervention, nutritional intervention, and dual-approach of diet and exercise) and identify effective interventions for sustainable body weight and healthy body mass index in school children. A systematic review will be conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. The review will assess school-based diet and exercise interventions on children in primary and secondary school levels I and II. Overweight and obesity develop as a result of a prolonged imbalance in the energy balance model, with both physical activity and diet being influential in the fluctuation of body weight. A dual-approach including physical activity and diet could therefore be a very promising method to promote sustainable healthy body weight in school children.

Cross-sectional associations between screen time and the selected lifestyle behaviors in adolescents

Background

In adolescents, excessive screen time leads to many adverse health outcomes and is associated with a variety of lifestyle behaviors. This study was conducted to investigate the associations between the two types of screen time and a variety of lifestyle behaviors in American adolescents.

Methods

Based on the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, this cross-sectional study was conducted. With the help of data collectors, participants self-reported screening time, lifestyle behaviors, and demographic data via well-validated tools.

Results

19% and 43.4% of the participants spent more than two hours a day watching television and using the computer, respectively, while the prevalence of physical inactivity and insufficient sleep was 75.1 and 74.4% respectively. Furthermore, 11.9, 7.3, 14.3, and 21.3% of the participants reported skipping fruits, vegetables, breakfast and milk, respectively. Moreover, the prevalence of alcohol and tobacco consumption and sexual activity was 26.8, 5.3, and 23.5% respectively. More than two hours of television time was significantly associated with high risks of fewer frequency for eating fruit (OR = 1.605, 95%CI: 1.308-1.970), vegetables (OR = 1.389, 95%CI: 1.029-1.873), and smoking (OR = 1.465, 95%CI: 1.088-1.972). Computer/video time for more than two hours was significantly associated with high risks of physical inactivity (OR = 1.724, 95%CI: 1.531-1.941), insufficient sleep (OR = 1.354, 95%CI: 1.151-1.592), and not eating fruit (OR = 1.434, 95%CI: 1.179-1.745).

Conclusion

Increased screen time may be associated with specific unhealthy lifestyle behaviors in adolescents. Furthermore, the associations between different types of screen time and various lifestyle behaviors varied.

Relation between Physical Fitness Components and the Occurrence and Subjective Intensity of Back Pain in Secondary School Adolescents

Despite the well documented benefits of physical fitness (PF) on general health, its role in back pain (BP) is still unclear. The objective of this study was to assess the association between different PF profiles and BP in a sample of adolescents. The study assessed PF and BP in a sample of 919 youth (age = 15.5 ± 1.3 years) from North and South Tyrol. A total of 531 participants (57.8%) reported no BP, whereas 4.7% (n = 43) reported severe BP. A two-step cluster analysis detected three main groups: the “less fit”, with significantly lower scores in all PF tests (p < 0.001); the “strong sprinters”, with higher speed and muscular strength than the others (p < 0.001); and the “flexible marathoners”, with higher flexibility and cardiorespiratory fitness (p < 0.001). The “flexible marathoners” showed significantly better BP scores than the “less fit” (p = 0.029). Cardiorespiratory fitness and trunk flexibility are potential preventive components of BP in adolescents. Since the decline in flexibility starts very early in life, it is recommended to put a particular emphasis on this component of PF. The role of other components of PF should be further investigated in the future.

Food consumption habits, gestational age and birth weight are predictive for children with excess weight: An analysis based on artificial neural network

The relationship between body weight gain and the onset of obesity is linked to environmental and behavioral factors, and may be dependent on biological predisposing. Artificial neural networks are useful predictive tools in the field of artificial intelligence, and can be used to identify risk factors related to obesity. The aim of this study is to establish, based on artificial neural networks, a predictive model for overweight/obesity in children based on the recognition and selection of patterns associated with birth weight, gestational age, height deficit, food consumption, and the physical activity level, TV time and family context. Sample consisted of 149 children (72 = eutrophic and 77 = overweight/obese). Collected data consisted of anthropometry and demographic characteristics, gestational age, birth weight, food consumption, physical activity level, TV time and family context. The gestational age, daily caloric intake and birth weight were the main determinants of the later appearance of overweight and obesity. In addition, the family context linked to socioeconomic factors, such as the number of residents in the household, had a great impact on excess weight. The physical activity level was the least important variable. Modifiable risk factors, such as the inadequate food consumption, and non-modifiable factors such as gestational age were the main determinants for overweight/obesity in children. Our data indicate that, combating excess weight should also be carried out from a social and preventive perspective during critical periods of development, such as pregnancy, lactation and early childhood, to reach a more effective strategy to combat obesity and its complications in childhood and adult life.

The Impact of Digital Screen Time on Dietary Habits and Physical Activity in Children and Adolescents

Background: Over the last few decades, the time children spend using electronic devices has increased significantly. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of screen time on dietary behaviors and physical activity in children and adolescents. Methods: An online survey was conducted among parents of preschool and school-aged children during the COVID-19 lockdown in Poland. There were 3127 surveys used in the analysis. Results: Survey responses referred to 1662 (53%) boys and 1465 (47%) girls, with a mean age of 12.1 ± 3.4 years. During a routine weekday, most children (71%) spent >4 h on educational activities using electronic devices, and 43% of children spent 1−2 h using devices for recreational purposes. The majority of children (89%) were exposed to screens during meals, and ate snacks between main meals (77%). There was an association between screen time and the exposure to screens during meals, and between screen time and time spent performing physical activity. Conclusions: This study revealed that the majority of children were exposed to screens during meals, which is a risk factor of obesity. The promotion of the judicious use of digital devices and healthy dietary habits associated with the use of screens may be an important component of obesity prevention strategies.

Chinese adult segmentation according to health skills and analysis of their use for smart home: a cross-sectional national survey

BACKGROUND

Digital health has become a heated topic today and smart homes have received much attention as an important area of digital health. Smart home is a device that enables automation and remote control in a home environment via the internet. However, most of the existing studies have focused on discussing the impact of smart home on people. Only few studies have focused on relationship between health skills and use of smart home.

AIMS

To analyze the health skills of Chinese adults and segment them to compare and analyze the use of smart home for each group.

METHODS

We used data from 11,031 participants aged 18 and above. The population was clustered based on five health skills factors: perceived social support, family health, health literacy, media use, and chronic diseases self-behavioral management. A total of 23 smart homes were categorized into three sub-categories based on their functions: entertainment smart home, functional smart home, and health smart home. We analyzed demographic characteristics and utilization rate of smart home across different cluster. Each groups' features and the differences in their needs for smart home functions were compared and analyzed.

RESULTS

As a result of the survey on health skills, three groups with different characteristics were clustered: good health skills, middle health skills, and poor health skills. The utilization rate of smart home was the highest was good health skills group (total smart home: 92.7%; entertainment smart home: 61.1%, functional smart home: 77.4%, and health smart home: 75.3%; P < 0.001). For entertainment smart home, smart TV had the highest utilization rate (good health skills: 45.7%; middle health skills: 43.5%, poor health skills: 33.4%, P < 0.001). For functional smart home, smart washing machine (good health skills: 37.7%, middle health skills: 35.11%, poor health skills: 26.5%; P < 0.001) and smart air conditioner (good health skills: 36.0%, middle health skills: 29.1%, poor health skills: 24.6%) were higher than other of this category. For health smart home, sports bracelet has the highest utilization rate (good health skills: 37.3%, middle health skills: 24.5%, poor health skills: 22.8%).

CONCLUSION

People can be divided into different categories based on health skill profiles, those with good health skills had a better utilization rate of smart home. The government and smart home companies need to focus on people with poor smart home use in various ways to promote their use of smart homes for personal health management.

Self-Rated Health Status of Upper Secondary School Pupils and Its Associations with Multiple Health-Related Factors

Health is an essential part of any individual, and gains particular importance in youth, as a good health at this age is more likely to reduce health risks both in the short and long term. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of physical and contextual parameters on youths’ perceived health. A total of 919 adolescents completed questionnaires on self-rated health status, electronic media use, leisure time and club physical activity, alcohol and tobacco consumption, and back pain, as well as performed the German Motor Performance Test. Participants with very good health had significantly higher physical fitness, leisure time exercise, and participated in sports clubs more often than those with poorer health. Electronic media use was significantly higher for those with poor/very poor health. Future intervention programs to improve youth health status should not only focus on active lifestyle but might also consider the impact of socioenvironmental factors, such as daily media use.

Correlation between Language Development and Motor Skills, Physical Activity, and Leisure Time Behaviour in Preschool-Aged Children

Sedentary behaviour has a negative impact on children’s physical and mental health. However, limited data are available on language development. Therefore, this pilot study aimed to analyse the associations between language development and possible predictors such as motor skills and leisure time behaviour in preschool-aged children. Methods: In this cross-sectional analysis, motor skills and speech development status were assessed in 49 healthy preschool children. Physical activity and screen time were assessed via a parental questionnaire. Results: On average, physical activity was 8.2 ± 6.5 h/week; mean screen time was 154.2 ± 136.2 min/week. A positive relationship between the results in the item ‘One-leg stand’ and ‘Phonological working memory for nonwords’ (β-coefficient −0.513; p < 0.001) resp. ‘Formation of morphological rules’ (β-coefficient −0.626; p = 0.004) was shown within backward stepwise regression. ‘Lateral jumping’, resp. ‘Sit and Reach’ were positively associated with ‘Understanding sentences’ (β-coefficient 0.519; p = 0.001 resp. β-coefficient 0.735; p = 0.002). ‘Physical inactivity’ correlated negatively with all language development subtests (each p < 0.05). Media consumption had a negative predictive effect on the subdomain ‘Understanding Sentences’ (β-coefficient −0.530, p = 0.003). Conclusions: An inactive lifestyle correlated negatively with selected subtests of language development in early childhood. These results should be verified in larger groups and longitudinally but support the need for early health promotion.

Screen time duration and timing: effects on obesity, physical activity, dry eyes, and learning ability in elementary school children

Background

As internet use becomes more widespread, the screen time (ST) of elementary school students increases yearly. It is known that longer durations of ST can affect obesity, physical activity, dry eye disease, and learning ability. However, the effects of ST just before bedtime have not been clarified. Therefore, we examined ST duration and timing effects on elementary school children.

Methods

We conducted a survey of 7419 elementary school students in Tokyo, Japan using a questionnaire on food education. ST duration and timing (just before bedtime) served as the explanatory variables, and the relationship between obesity, physical activity, dry eyes, and learning ability was analyzed using logistic regression analysis. Gender, school year, height, and weight were considered confounding factors. First, we examined whether ST duration and timing were related to each objective variable, using a univariate model to examine all variables. Thereafter, we performed multivariate logistic regression analyses for all variables showing a significant difference in the univariate models.

Results

A significant association was observed between ST duration and obesity, physical activity, and academic performance, indicating that a longer ST duration may lead to obesity, decreased physical activity, and decreased academic performance. ST timing was associated with obesity, dry eyes, and academic performance, and ST immediately before bedtime contributed to obesity, dry eyes, and reduced academic performance. Furthermore, the results of investigating the combined effect of ST duration and timing (immediately before bedtime) on these factors revealed that ST timing has a greater effect on dry eyes, and ST duration has a greater effect on academic performance.

Conclusion

Our findings indicate that ST in school children is related to obesity, physical activity, dry eyes, and learning ability, and they suggest that not only the duration but also the timing of ST is important.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-021-10484-7.

The Relationship between Technology Use and Physical Activity among Typically-Developing Children

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between technology use and physical activity level and to measure the association between sociodemographic characteristics of the participants, technology use, and physical activity level among Saudi children. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 458 parents of typically-developing Saudi children (6–12 years). A translated validated questionnaire used for data collection consisted of three parts: Children’s Physical Activity Questionnaire (CPAQ), Questionnaire on the Impact of Technology on Children (used to investigate the impact of technology on children’s physical activity) and sociodemographic questions (e.g, children’s age and sex, age, educational level, marital status of parents and monthly income). Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and Mann-Whitney U test to assess the relationship between technology use and physical activity level. A chi-squared test was used to assess the relationship between technology use and sociodemographic variables. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: Mean age of the sampled children was (8.44 ± 2.07). Data analysis revealed that high use of technology was significantly associated with low level of activity. Pearson’s correlation analysis showed a negative relationship between a high level of activity and technology use (r = −0.138, p = 0.047). Ownership of a device was significantly associated with higher technology time consumption. Regression analysis revealed that age of the child, educational level of the parents, screen time use, and owning electrical devices significantly predicted the level of practicing physical activity among children of sampled parents (p < 0.05). Conclusions: practicing inadequate physical activity among children could be influenced by educational level of parents, screen time use, and owning electrical devices. Therefore, parental involvement is required to reduce time of exposure to technology screens among children.

Determine the BMI levels, self-concept and healthy life behaviours of children during a school based obesity training programme

Sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy nutrition, in particular, cause childhood obesity. The purpose of this semi-experimental research is to determine the changes in body mass index, self-concept, and healthy lifestyle behaviours of children during a training programme to prevent obesity. Children 9 and 15 years old were included from two public secondary schools. A total of 1609 students completed the study in the intervention and control groups (1022 vs 587, respectively). The training programme for the intervention group at the schools had three sessions in 12 weeks and was about obesity, body mass index (BMI) calculation, a healthy lifestyle and coping with stress. Data was collected through a sociodemographic data form, healthy lifestyle behaviours data form, Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale and weight-height measurements during the first and last weeks of the programme (except for the sociodemographic form). Before training, BMI's of children in the intervention group were higher than in the control group (19.61 ± 3.8 vs 19.00 ± 3.5, respectively). The gap between BMI scores of the groups was narrowed after the training (p > 0.05). The mean score on the Self-Concept Scale increased in the intervention group after the training (63.21 ± 9.5) as compared to before the training (61.16 ± 10.4); whereas in the control group, there were no differences found (p = 0.908). In the intervention group, the number of children who had breakfast after the training (81.1%) increased compared to before the training (74.1%) (p = 0.001). The trainings were provided to students to increase healthy nutrition, physical activity and to decrease sedentary lifestyles.

Factors Associated with Physical Fitness among Overweight and Non-Overweight Austrian Secondary School Students

The aim of the study was to evaluate factors associated with physical fitness (PF) among overweight and non-overweight Austrian secondary school students. PF was measured using the German motor test (DMT) 6-18 and students were asked about sex, migration background, weekly leisure time physical activity and daily electronic media use. In total 560 adolescents (56.6% female) with a mean age of 15.4 ± 1.4 years and a mean body mass index (BMI) of 22.5 ± 4.2 kg/m² were evaluated with 130 (23.2%) students classified as overweight or obese. For the total cohort, results of the multiple linear regression analysis (R2 = 0.34) revealed that a younger age (β = -0.16), no migration background (β = 0.13), a lower BMI (β = -0.29), a higher weekly leisure time physical activity (β = 0.34) and a lower daily electronic media use (β = -0.15) were associated with increased PF. Separate regression analyses for non-overweight and overweight students showed similar regression coefficients except for BMI. In conclusion, the positive influence of modifiable factors such as lower BMI, higher self-reported weekly leisure time sports activity and lower self-reported daily electronic media use should be considered already at young ages to increase physical fitness in overweight and non-overweight youth.